Tag-attaching seal.



E. J. BROOKS.

TAG ATTACHING SEAL. APPLIUATION FILED SEPT. '1, 1909.

Patented Dec. 7, 1909.

A. B. c. RV...

" Tous escrilnt'wn CarN0. From Daie Tov Via, Weigftiu Mase. Loaded- `New Jersey, have invented a new and useful.

narran srarnsmrarawr optaron.

EDWARD J. BROOKS, 0F EAST ORANGE, NEW' JERSEY.

TAG-ATTACHING SEAL.

Application led September '7, 1909.

To all whom it may concern:

Be 1t known tl at l, Enwiinn J. BROOKS, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Fast Orange in the State of improvement in Tag-Attaching Seals, of which the following is a specification.

rlhis invention relates to seals for securing the doors of railway freight cars to insure the detection of any unauthorized entry of the car for the abstraction of goods, and for other like sealing purposes, and to tags attached by such seals and adapted to receive and display descriptive matter relating to a railway freight car for example and its contents.

rllhe present invention consists in the improved tag-attaching seal 'hereinafter described and claimed.

rllhe leading object of the invention is to produce a highly effective tag-attaching seal having a very light compressible seal part and a very narrow sheet-metal shackle.

Other objects will be set forth in the general description which follows.

Figures l and 2 of the accompanying sheet of drawings are face views respectively of the seal part and shackle as preliminarily united atthe factory, and of the tag detached; Figs. 3 and d are edge views illustrating successive stages of the sealing' operation; Fig. 5 is a face view of the seal and tag as they appear after the sealing operation but with the lower portion of the tag omitted; and Figs. 6 and 7 are magnified longitudinal sections respectively on the line tl-B, Fig. l, and on the line C-D. Fig. 5.

Like reference characters refer to like parts in all the figures.

The improved bag-attaching seal is composed of a compressible seal part, a, of a suitable soft metal or alloy, preferably lead, and a exible sheet-metal shackle, l), preferably of tin7 (tin plate) g and is used in connection with a tag, o, of water-proofed paper or other suitable material, and a lock or fastening having' a pair of slotted parts, such as staples, l and Q, Figs. 3-5, which must be separated in order to open the sealed door. The seal part a is preliminarily fastened or fixed on one end of the shackle Z) at the factory. It is preferably cast fast, and is constructed with a threading slot, 3, Fig. 6, extending therethrough from edge to edge immediately in front of and in the same direction as the shackle end on which Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 7, seri-.u no. 516,475.

| the seal part is fast: also with a centering hole, 4, Figs. l and G, in its face perpendicular to said threading slot 3; said threading slot 3 being of sufficient capacity to admit second and third thicknesses of the shackle b as in Fig. 4E, and said centering hole lof suitable size to admit a pointed pin on the movable die of the seal press, as indicated by the impression 5 of such pin shown in Fig. 5 and in the plane of section in Fig. 7. The shackle b is adapted to be cut very narrow, as indicated in Figs. l and 5, as it does not have to carry any lettering, and the effective engagement therewith of the pressfastening device is insured by said centering iole Ll. lt is simply a narrow strip of flexible sheet metal provided near one end with a ragged eyelet, 6, Fig. 6, or its equivalent to facilitate correctly locating and attaching the seal part a. The tag c has a narrow central slot, 7, near one end, reinforced by patches, 8 and 9, cemented in place and penetrated by the slot. lt is also conveniently provided with any required distinguishing marks and designated description blanks, as illustrated by the lettering B, C. Ry. and the characters thereunder in Fig. 2.

After threading the long end of the shackle Z) through the staples l and 2 and then through the slot 3 of the seal part a, as in Fig. 3, the same shackle end is threaded through the slot 7 of the tag o, and again through said slot 3 of the seal part as in Fig. el. A seal press of any known or improved oonstruction is then applied to the seal part a; the pin on its movable die hereinbefore referred to is guided by the centering hole a; and with this aid the seal part ct and the three thicknesses of the shackle o within the same are inseparably interlocked with each other at a single press-fastening operation. The seal part o may be and preferably is stamped on one or both faces with any required press marks, as illustrated by the characters 500 77.thereon in Fig. 5.

Owing to the construction of the several parts as above described and their interaction with each other, the tag is attached face outward directly beneath the seal part, so that both may be simultaneously examined with facility, and the weight of the seal part and shackle and the flat form of the latter operate to keep the face of the tag displayed by resisting any overturning of the tag by the wind.

The external shapes of the seal part a and tag c obviously admit of change to suit the requirements of different users, and other like modifications Will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art.

Having thus described said improvement, I claim as my invention and desire to patent under this specification:

A tag-attaching seal having, in combination, a compressible .seal part of lead or the like constructed With a threading slot and a centering hole perpendicular to said slot, and a narrow shackle of flexible sheet-metal one end of which is preliminarily made fast Within the back of said slot and the other 15 end of Which is adapted to be threaded and rethreaded through said slot to form loops for attaching the seal to the object that is to be sealed andfor attaching a tag to the seal part and to locate second and third thicknesses of the shackle Within said slot as and for the purposes hereinbefore specilied.

EDVARD J. BROOKS.

lVitnesses GEO. O. TOTTEN, THEO. S. GOTTLIEB. 

